Hairpin-box machine



' 1,682,819 F. D. WILLI f HAIRPIN BOX MACHINE Sept. 4, 419128.

Original Filed MaICh l5. 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 4, 1928. 1,682,819

F. D. wlLLl HAIRPIN BOX MACHINE original Filed March 15, 192s e sheets-sheet 2 Sept. 4, 1928.

F. D. wlLLl HAIRPIN BOX MACHINE Original Filed March 15. 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 4, 1928.

1,682,819 F. D. wlLLl HAIRPIN BOX MACHINE Original Filed Malh 15, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 4, 1928. 1,682,819

F. D. WILLI HAIRPIN l,Box MACHINE Ori nal 'Filed March 15, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Taf/'livr' Sept. 4, 1928.

F. D. WILLI HAIREIN BOX MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 96" Ori nal Filed March 15, lgg

Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

Unirse srrss ement OFFICE.

FREDERICK D. W'ILLI, OF GHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IEHUMP I'IAIRPIN TITANUFAGTURING COMPANY, OF C VIRGINIA.

AGL), ILLNOIS, A CGEPORATION F WEST HAIRPJLBDX MAGHNE.

Application filed March 15, 1923, Serial No. 625,231. Renewed February 16, 1928.

This invention relates 'to improvements in hairpin bon machines, and refers more par ticularly to a machine for inserting tubes or tube compartments into hairpin boxes.

Among; the salient objects ot the invention are to provide a machine 'in which tubes or compartments are automatically removed from a hopper and inserted in a trmielingl mechanism through Which they pass and .are l0 inserted into boxes; to provide a mechanism which obviates the necessity ot manually insertino; the compartments into boxes and reduceslabor and the cost ot' producing' the partition boxes.` y

Fig. l is a :liront view of the machine..

Fig. 2 is a side vicvv showingr the drive..

Fig 3 is a detail showing the oscillating brush and conveyor.

Fig. t is an enlarged fragmentary detail ot' the inserting mechanism. l

Fig'. 5 is a view taken along,` the line 5--5 in Fig. it. l

Fig. 6 is a detail ot the retaining mechanism-for holding` the column olf tubes While a selected number are inserted into boxes.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the bon with the tubes inserted. l

Fig. 8 is a side-viev'/v with parts broken away to show the vfunctioning oit the. cams operating the oscillating brush and pivoted receiver chute.

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view with parts broken away to show the conveyor and oscillating brush mechanism.

Briefly, the mechanism functions as tollotvs; From a hopper containing tube compartments, the tubes are picked up'by thecarriers ot a conveyor which deposits them at the top of a machine into a pivoted chute through which they pass by gravitation to a vertical chute or :teed `chute which supplies the tubes to a box by means of a slide able inserting machine or plunger manually operated, which` -.forces the tubes into the open box positioned along the side oit the chute.

The function ol the oscillating.;` brush is to prevent the tubes from' being positioned other than in a horizontal position on the carriers while at the top ol' the mechanism. An ejector shoe or finger oscillates in timed relation with the pivoted receiver chute to positively remove the tubes from the carriers.

During' the ejection from' the feed chute into the box the Column ot tubes in the iced chute are supported by an automatically inserted arm.

Referring in det-ail to the drawings,` at the rear on the standard l is mounted a hopper 2 which contains the cylindrical tubo compartments A which are to be inserted into the hairpin boxes. A conveyor chain 3 having` hook shaped carriers 4 positioned at regular intervals along' the `outside of the conveyor chain,` operates over the upper and lower sprocket Wheels and G. ylhe lower sprocket wheel 6. mounted upon a shaft?, 1

to which is also fixed a pulley Wheel 8 which is driven through a pulley 9 by va smaller wheel l0 mounted upon the shaft` ll. A gear l2 mounted upon the same shaft meshes with a pinion` 13 lined upon the shaft lt 1 upon which is also mounted the pulley Wheel l5. l l

This latter pulley Wheel is driven by the motor 1G through the belt l?. i

The driven conveyor duringits upward travel passes through the hopper 2 Where each carrier picks up a single` tube carrying it to the `top et the machine where it is de-` posited in the receiver chute, hereinafter ein plained. l

On the rear ot the machine positioned above `the hopper, is an oscillating rod 118 pivoted at 19, shown in Figs, 1, 2, 3, 8 and `9. rlhe oscillationot` this rod is produced by means oit a cam 20 mounted upon the shatt 2l. The cam surta-ce contacts a cam roller 22 mounted upon a bell crank 23 Which has its oppositeend connected at 24 to a rod This latter member isconnected Vat 2G, shown in Fig. 3 to an upper arm" 27 also pivoted at 19 and functioning to produce the oscillation of the rod 18 upon which the brush Q8 is mounted. Thiszoscillation or pendulum movement causes the brush to pass back and forth above the carriers preventing` a tube trom[remaining `in a. vetrical position in the carrier. It is essential that the operation of the brush be kept in timed relation With the conveyor chain so that the brush swings in front of each carrier atthfJ proper moment. Any of the tubes which do not lie horizontally in the carriers, will be v ceiver chute 32 is lowered, due tothe action of the triangular cam 33 operating against the spring tension imposed by the spring 33a functioning the pivoted bell crank 34 by means of a cam roller 35 contacting the cam surface.

The bell crank 34 is pivoted at 36 to a portion of the standard or frame 1 and its opposite end is connected at 37 to the bar connection 3S which is pivoted at 39 to the receiver chute 32. This chute as explained, is pivoted at and is oscillated vertically so as'to accept a tube from each of the carriers as they successively come to a position at tlictop' of the conveyor as shown in Fig. 9.

The purpose of oscillating this receiver chute is to remove the chute from the path --l ll ofthe travel of the conveyor carriers as they move around the sprocket in their down- Ward travel.`

To assure the removal of the tubes from the` carrier, an ejector rod 41 mounted upon the'pivoted crank 42 is oscillated in timed relation With the functioning of the receiver chute so that the ejector is inserted through the aperture 43 in the back of the carriers. Thus the ejector pushes the tubes into the chute. through which they are fed to the vertical feed chute 44. The ejector rod 41 as explained is mounted upon a pivoted member 42 which has connection with a pivoted bifurcated member 45. The bifurcated portion of this member fits about the bearingr portion 46 of the element 42 and oscillates the ejector with the rocking of Y `the ivoted member caused by the action of tie cam 47 against the cam roller 48 mounted on the opposite end of the member 45 from the bifurcated portion. The cam 47 is mounted upon a shaft 49 upon which is also mounted a gear 50 which meshes with the gear 30 driven as reviously explained, by the sprocket Whee 5.

The tubes dropping into the feed chute build up in a manner shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the bottom `tubes being positioned before a side opening 51 in the side of the chute before which is positioned a box 52 such as that shown in Fig. 7. The box is held in the rectangular space 53 and may be of any desired size according to the size of the box into which the tubes or compartments are to be fitted. In a like manner the aperture 51 may be varied in size in orderjthat the proper number and proper size tubes can be inserted in the open side of the box.

The boxes are manually positioned in the cavity 53 and the pivoted arm 54 rotated about the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4. The stub shaft to which the arm 54 is attached, has mounted thereon a sector 55 meshing with the rack 56 which is supported by cleats 57. At the end of the rack is a plunger 58 which contacts the ends of the tubes and forces them through a tapered openiner 51 `slightly compressing them so as to hold the compartments firmly in the box after they have been inserted.

Simultaneously with thefunctioning of the rack and plunger 58, the pivoted retaining `arm 59 is released from behind the block G() with the forward movement of the rack, and due to the action of the spring 61 acting upon the arm it is drawn to a position shown in Fig. 6 Where the enlarged iiat end 59a is inserted between the top of the u'per tube to be inserted into the box and the surface of the lowest tubes in the chut-e. Thus, this separating or supporting arm retains the tubes and prevents their dropping behind the pluneer before it is returned to the position shown in Fig. 4 behind the next set of tubes to be inserted in the box.

When the plunger has been returned by moving the handle 54 from the dotted line position to the full line position shown in Fig. 4, the tapered edge 6()a of the block 6() mounted upon the top of the rack contacts the depending pin 591' attached to the underside of the arm 59. This rocks the `arm on its pivot and removes the flattened enlarged surface 59a from beneath the column of tubes in the chute, thus permitting the tubes to fall to the bottom of the chute as shown in Fig. 4, and in a position Where the next succeeding set ma be pushed by the plunger into the box he d in the cavity 53.

A coil spring 62 maintains the ejector rod in a position shown in Fig. 9, when not oscillated forward by the action of the cam 47. This spring also keeps the cam roller against the surface of the cam 47.

The mechanism may be continuously operated to insert a set of tube compartments in a hair in box such as that shown in Fig. 7. IH erctofore, it has been necessary to manually assemble and place the tubes in the box, an operation which is not only difficult, Ibut expensive. This mechanism makes it possible to insert the COmpartments in a much shorter period of time and more accurately than can be done by hand.

The mechanism is not restricted to this particular use, but may be applied as well tio the insertion of different shapes and types llt of compartments which are to be inserted in boxes of ditlerent character.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a machine of the character described, in combination a container for box partitions, a chute, a traveling conveyor for transferring the partitions trom the container to the chute, an intermediate pivoted element between the conveyor and chute functioning in timed relation with the conveyor to transfer the partitions from the conveyor to the chute, and means for posi tively ejecting the partitions from the conveyor carriers into the intermediate element.

2. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a container for box partitions, a chiite, upright conveying means having spaced retaining' elements for transport ing partitions from the container to the chute andineans for preventing the partitions from being in a position other than horizontal While carried by the conveying means.

3. In a machine ot' the character described, in combination a container for ybor partitions, a chiite, a traveling conveyor i'or transferring the partitions from the container to the chute, an intermediate element between the conveyor and chute functioning in timed relation Withthe conveyor to transier the partitions from the conveyor to the chiite, and means for positively ejecting the partitions from the conveyor carriers into the intermediate element. y

4i. In a machine ot' the character described, in combination a container for box partitions, a chute, a traveling conveyor for transl'errin,i .1g the partitions form the container to the chute, an intermediate element between the conevyor and chute functioning in timed relation with the conveyor to transvi'er the partitions from the conveyor to the chute, and means for positively ejecting the partitions from the conveyor carriers into the intermediate element, an oscillating brushingl means intermittenly contacting the conveyor for removing partitions improperly placed on the conveyor. t

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a container for box partitions, a chute, a traveling conveyor for transferring the partitions from the container to the chute, an intermediate element between the conveyor and chute functioning in timed relation with the conveyor to transfer the partitions from the conveyor to the chute, means for positively ejecting the partitions `trom the conveyor carriers into the intermediate 'element, and simultaneously oper-V able means i'or retaining the partitions at rest 1n the chute While partitions are being inserted into a box.

FREDERICK D. IVILLI. 

